Care for Life: It’s Worth it – Day for Life 2013

17. Sep, 2013

Day for Life is celebrated annually by the Catholic Church in Ireland, Scotland and England and Wales. It is a day dedicated to celebrating the dignity of life from conception to natural death. This year’s Day for Life will be celebrated in Ireland on Sunday 6 October and will focus on the theme: Caring for Life.

This year’s message begins with the words of Pope Francis taken from a homily in 2005 on the Feast of the Patron Saint of expectant mothers and midwives, when His Holiness spoke simply and beautifully about what promoting a culture of life really means:

“Jesus teaches us to care for life because it is the image of God, who is absolute life. We cannot announce anything else but life, and from the beginning to the end. All of us must care for life, cherish life, with tenderness, warmth……..to give life is to open (our) hearts for others…… Caring for life from the beginning to the end. What a simple thing, what a beautiful thing….So, go forth and don’t be discouraged. Care for life. It’s worth it!”

Day for Life 2013 will place particular focus on:

Care for unborn children and their mothers

Care for people who are elderly

Care for those who are suicidal and their families

Click on the language versions below to read the full text of this year’s Day for Life Pastoral Message from the Irish Catholic Bishops.

Holy Mary, Mother of Love,
holding in your arms, the fruit of your womb,
graciously look upon our earth and remove from it
all that hardens our hearts and dims our eyes
to the preciousness of human life,
from the moment of conception to natural death.

Through the example of your tenderness
teach us the ways of compassion and love
that we may build up the civilisation of love among us
and a society that is truly worthy of the human person.

Help us to reject all that contributes to a culture of death,
and to work with others of goodwill
in promoting the culture of life.

Bring us ever closer to your Son,
so that we may know the fullness of life that he offers us
and come to know that life more perfectly,
with you, and all the angels and saints,
in the eternal life of Heaven.